Christmas is just around the corner and all we hear are sleigh bells ringing and jing ting tingaling! This season is merrier thanks to carol singing as people spread joy with their hymns and medleys. Carollers in the city have been a busy bunch as they traipse city streets to hold up this age-old tradition that awakens the spirit of the season, with santa caps and choruses ringing.
Ling Ramila, a therapist along with her church group start spreading Christmas cheer from mid-December. She says, “The message of Christmas carols is about sharing joy, peace, love and hope. A sense of belonging is what every human thrives for, and I think it’s reflected most when we go carolling as a community.”
People are very warm and welcoming. There is joy, gratitude and yes, lots and lots of food,” she adds. But, do these people randomly sing songs or do they prepare way ahead of time? Another caroller, Sherin Jacob who is a musician tells us that a lot planning takes places before they go out. She says, “We plan the song sheets, the invitations and the transportation in advance. Usually there’s a big group so we get a big bus and all travel together. The traditions have changed a little bit from just going door to door now we sing at public spaces like last year some of us went to the airport and did carolling there.”
Jonathan James
“This year the most wanted song has been we three kings. The others are o holy night and silent night. My personal favourite is O holy night,” a young chef Johnathan James tells us. But, there is nothing better than putting a smile on the faces of leprosy patients, Johnathan adds, “Oh the joy on their faces, the sheer excitement that envelopes them when you go near them! They are a misunderstood lot, abandoned, mistakenly deemed ‘untouchable.’ They break down in tears when you shake their hand. That’s how much a touch means to them. It was definitely my most memorable carolling experience!”
Ling Ramila
For some carolling might be just an age old tradition but to uphold this custom since childhood is something Clyde Rohan Noel has been doing ever since he was a little kid. Clyde gives us details on his carolling experiences and says, “We love the Aftermath! The Carols are sometimes just an excuse for fun and food! But people love the fellowship with us and sometimes we hear great stories of their youth as we sit and dig into some snacks. But the best responses are when they ask us to keep coming back every year. That’s the best gift for us carollers!”
